Monday, July 27, 2009

I really love summer because of all the fresh fruits. And I love to make my own preserves to enjoy that fresh summer taste in the heart of winter. But why is it that Mother Nature sees fit to give us her greatest bounty at the same time she gives us miserable hot weather? Who wants to stand over a hot stove stirring a boiling cauldron when it's 90 degrees outside?? Well last summer I stumbled across a recipe for Crockpot Peach Butter. It sounded intriguing. I liked the idea that I didn't have to heat up the whole kitchen to make preserves. I liked it even better that I could just put everything in the crockpot and walk away for 8 or more hours. Best of all, a friend had just given me some windfall peaches off her tree. So I decided to try the recipe right away. I put the first batch in the crockpot late at night and went to bed. Woke up in the morning and the whole inn smelled WONDERFUL. Guests were coming down to breakfast and asking "What IS that delicious smell?" I was dishing up samples right out of the crockpot. It tasted every bit as good as it smelled. When pears came into season I also made some pear ginger butter using the same method. The only drawback to this recipe is that it only makes a small batch at a time. About three pints. I haven't tried doubling the recipe. I suspect it would work, but take longer to cook down. It's fine to just ladle into jars and refrigerate if you plan to eat it all in the next month, but for longer storage you should do a hot water bath like you would with regular preserves.

Chop peaches and apricots very fine in food processorCombine everything in a crockpotHeat on high until fruit is simmering - about 3 hours.Reduce heat to low and remove the lid and let simmer for about 8 hours more. Stir occasionally.

Refrigerate for immediate use. Can be frozen or processed in hot water bath for longer storage

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

At Lookout Point Lakeside Inn, we found it challenging to prepare and cook omelettes for up to 30 persons. Breakfast is served from 8am until 9:30am, however if everyone comes at the same time our "goose is cooked" with certain entrees, including omelettes. The Ham & Cheese Rolled Omelette serves 12 persons, holds well in the warmer, tastes great and looks like I slaved for hours. (Not!)

DIRECTIONSLine the bottom and sides of a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add the flour and salt; mix until combined.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until blended. Add to the cream cheese mixture; beat well until frothy. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 mintues or until eggs are puffed and set. Remove from oven.

Immediately spread the eggs with dijon mustard and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Next sprinkle with ham, onions and then 1 cup cheese. Roll up from a short side, peeling parchment paper away while rolling. Sprinkle top of roll with the remaining cheese. Return to oven for 4-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

To serve, slice into 12 pieces. Serve with a sprig of fresh rosemary and top with tomato wedge. A ladle of Hollandaise Sauce is also great on top of the rolled omelette.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Everyone should have a couple of foolproof five minute recipes for when unexpected guests drop in, or when they just feel too lazy to cook. These should be recipes that can be made out of things they have on their pantry shelves.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of an olive snob. I generally turn up my nose at olives from a jar or can. But the first time I tried this recipe I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't have guessed it used canned black olives. Certainly you can spend the extra money and buy a good pitted Kalamata olive for this recipe, but it's a perfectly acceptable recipe with basic canned ones.

INGREDIENTS

1 can of pitted black olives1 jar of green Spanish olives with pimento3 cloves of garlic1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes packed in oil

DIRECTIONS

Drain the olives. Put everything into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Friday, July 17, 2009

I am completely nuts about lemons. If there is a way to use them in something I will find it. Fortunately breakfast gives me all sorts of opportunities and this french toast just happens to be one of my all time favorites. It makes use of store bought croissants (and yes, they can come off the day old rack!) and though I use my own homemade lemon curd you can use some from a jar. I have used strawberries here, but this morning the berries were a mix of strawberries, blueberries and wineberries. Wineberries resemble a raspberry, are highly perishable, tart and full of flavor. They grow wild in this part of Pennsylvania and we have them all over the inn property. Blackberries and marionberries work as well. Yum!

In the words of James Beard " Follow the directions the first time you try a recipe. But.. from then on you are on your own."

Cut croissants in halfIn a flat pie dish or baking dish lightly beat the eggsWhisk in the cream, lemon zest, and lemon extract.Lay the croissant half one at a time into the egg mixture cut side downTurn and when soaked place cut side up on a baking tray lined with parchment or lightly greasedUp to this point you can prepare the night before, cover with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator overnightPreheat the oven to 350FPlace the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15 min, switching the baking trays between the racks at 10 minPrepare the fruit by washing, stemming and slicing the strawberries.Toss with the sugar and allow to standTake the cup of strawberries, add the Tbsp of sugar and puree in a small food processor or mash by hand.Remove the baked croissant halves from the ovenSpread with the lemon butter on the cut facePlace the bottom half on a plate and pile with 3/4 cup of berriesPlace the top half of the croissant on top of the berriesDrizzle with 2 Tbsp of the strawberry puree

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

At Lookout Point Lakeside Inn, intimate weddings and receptions are a specialty. We enjoy hosting 1-2 weddings per week. With the gardens, waterfalls, and lakeside setting, the backdrop for weddings is stunning. For the reception this Saturday, the bride selected this recipe of Asparagus Ham Tarts for one of her appetizers.

INGREDIENTS

13 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup all purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon)

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 egg

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1/2 cup cooked ham, diced

18 fresh asparagus tips, cut into 1 inch pieces

DIRECTIONS

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add 3/4 cup flour and cornmeal; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape dough into 18 balls. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups.

In a bowl, whisk egg and cream. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Add cheese and ham; mix well. Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each cup. Bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Top each tart with an asparagus tip. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 17-20 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Ok, so I admit it. I'm in my fresh basil phase of the summer. I just can't get enough of that stuff. I'll just pick leaves off the plants and chew on them. I shred basil up and put it in salads, put it in scrambled eggs or omelettes, and generally just try to find any excuse to add it to a recipe. This recipe looks prettiest with green basil. Purple basil will work for flavor, but it tends to bleed into the pate and make it look, well, sick. This recipe can also be used as a spread for tea sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS

Two 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese1/4 cup of butter2 large cloves of garlic - more if you're like me and love garlic1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes packed in oil1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

Put everything into a food processor and process on medium speed until well combined. Pack into serving dishes and refrigerate until needed. Serve with crackers, flatbread or a crusty bread. This will keep, refrigerated, for about a week.

In a small bowl mix sugar and cornstarch. In a large bowl mix blueberries lemon zest and lemon juice. Sprinkle sugar/corn starch mixture over berries and mix gently. Pour into prepared baking dish mounting it higher towards the middle. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the mixing bowl of a food processor. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. In a large measuring cup stir together milk, vanilla and lemon extract and pour over flour mixture. Pulse until just blended. Do not over mix.

Drop topping by the spoon full on top of the blueberries. Cover a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. This will prevent the juices from making a mess in your oven should they overflow. Set cobbler on top of sheet pan and slide into hot oven.Bake for 25 min. then turn heat down to 350°. Bake another 30 min. until the top is golden and the blueberries are very bubbly. Insert a wooden tooth pick into the topping to check if the it's done. The toothpick should come out clean. (If the top is getting too brown too quickly cover with a piece of aluminum foil the size of the dish half way through the baking time.)

Sunday, July 12, 2009

This is a scone for white chocolate lovers. It is a bit sweeter than a plainer scone. It belongs into the "special occasions" category. If you don't care for white chocolate, leave it out and make it just with apricots and toasted almonds but add a ½ teaspoon of almond extract. It is also very good. The picture shows the scones and the peach soup.

Tips: Keeping the butter, eggs and heavy cream as cold as possible makes for a flakier scone. Toasting almonds (or any nuts) used in baking, intensifies their flavor.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor.
Cut butter into small pieces and distribute evenly over flour mixture. Pulse 4-5 times until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not over mix.
In a small bowl whisk heavy cream, egg and vanilla together. Pour over flour mixture and pulse again until barely mixed. Add chocolate, nuts and apricots and pulse once or twice to distribute evenly. Turn dough onto clean surface and knead until dough holds together.
With lightly floured hands pat dough into a 9” circle. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Cut into 8 wedges setting them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 10 min. Bake for 20 min. or until top is golden brown.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Rita, our innkeeper is a wonderful cook. She was trying to figure out what to do with half a watermelon we had sitting in the fridge when she came up with this keeper. It is an awesome summer thirst quencher and has the prettiest pink color.

INGREDIENTS

Prepare 1 can of frozen lemonade according to the label.(You should have 64 oz. prepared lemonade)Puree:8 cups of chopped up seeded watermelon and½ cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Strain the watermelon through a strainer. This will yield about 4 cups of juice.

Guests always request seconds of this uniquely topped bacon. The recipe is so easy!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup dijon mustard1/2 cup brown sugar1 pound bacon, thick sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay bacon strips on foil lined rimmed baking sheet (15x10x1). Brush each bacon slice with dijon mustard. Heavily sprinkle brown sugar on top of the dijon. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until desired crispness of bacon. Remove bacon to a plate lined with bread to absorb the grease and keep warm until ready to serve on fresh plate.

Hint: We always cook bacon in the oven on a foil lined baking sheet. Clean up is a breeze! Simply remove bacon, allow grease to cool, then carefull fold up foil to discard.

Set aside ½ cup of the diced peaches and sprinkle 1 tablsp. of OJ on top to prevent the fruit from turning brown.Place the peaches, juice and sugar and nutmeg in a blender and blend until smooth. Add yogurt and mix until well blended. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or over-night.Serve in an ice cream dish topped with a teasp. of the diced peaches and decorated with a sprig of mint.

Pre-bake pie crust in a pie plate for 15 min.Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350°F.

Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼ inch pieces, then wash well in a bowl of cold water. Make sure to get all the dirt out. Leeks tend to hide sand between the leaves. Drain leeks in a colander and pat dry. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over moderately low heat and cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Lightly toss cheese, cooled sautéed leeks and chopped ham. Distribute evenly into pie shell. Do not pack. Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, and pepper until smooth.Carefully pour custard on top of pie filling and transfer on top of a baking sheet.

Bake until center of filling is puffed and set for about 1 hour. Cover with a piece of foil if the crust browns to rapidly. (Center will be slightly wobbly but not liquid), Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes before serving. Filling will continue to set as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In a heavy bottomed pan melt butter and add minced onion. Cook over medium heat until onions are cooked but not browned.

Add flour and cook for 3-5 min. stirring constantly. Do not let brown.

Add bullion and cook until thick. Keep cooking for another 3-5 min. This will make the “flour” taste go away. Add half and half mix well until nice and creamy. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Turn down heat. Add crab meat and heat until crab meat is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Do not let boil!

A heaping 2 ½ inch scoop of muffin batter makes a perfectly sized large muffin. The scooping mechanism helps release the dough into the muffin tin. If the batter is very sticky lightly spray the scoop with pan coating such as “PAM”. It will easily release the batter.

The 1 ½ inch scoop is perfect for all our drop cookies.We make all our cookies ahead and freeze the dough balls on a sheet pan before storing the frozen balls labeled and dated in freezer bags. This is a great way to have cookies on hand at all times.

When the cookie jar is almost empty, (which is most every day by about 11 am) we pull out an assortment of frozen cookie balls and bake what we need for the day.

There are many more uses for these handy gadgets including actually scooping ice cream!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter using either the pulse setting on a food processor or by hand with a pastry blender. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with no visible chunks of butter. Take one of the eggs and separate the yolk and white. Put the white aside. Beat the yolk with the other whole egg and the half-and-half. Add this to the dry mixture, along with the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Stir with a fork until barely mixed. Dump dough onto a floured board and knead gently, about 6 to 8 times. Roll or pat dough out to ½ inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart and brush the tops with the reserved egg white. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or just until tender. Do not overcook. Drain, cool.Cut potatoes into ¼ inch slices. Place in a single layer on two parchment lined baking pans, 15 x 10 inches. Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix on each potato slice. Top with cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and jalapeno slices (one or two per potato). Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted. To serve, top with a small dollop of sour cream and an olive slice. Sprinkle chopped onions over the nachos.

Combine cream cheese, lemon curd and powdered sugar. Divide this between 8 of the slices of bread and spread to within ¼ inch of the edge. Top with the remaining 8 slices of bread to make sandwiches. Beat the eggs with evaporated milk, sugar and almond extract. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture to coat both sides and put in a single layer on a baking sheet or casserole dish. Pour any remaining batter over top and let sit for 10 minutes to absorb the batter. Heat a griddle to 300 degrees (medium low heat) and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Meanwhile make sauce. Combine berries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with just enough water to make a paste and stir in. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly to thicken. Add more water if it seems too thick. Serve over French Toast.

Monday, July 6, 2009

If you are looking for something different in a summer fruit dish, look no further! I first found the idea in a grocery handout and have been serving it to summer guests. I have fun making it and they have fun eating it!

DIRECTIONSIn a small bowl, mix the granola and 1/2 cup honey until the mixture sticks together.Grease the inside of a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup. The measuring cup should be about 4 inches wide. Fill the measuring cup with the granola and honey mixture and push down with a spoon. Flip the mixture over one of the plates you are going to use to serve this dish. Do this four times. This is the "English muffin" part of your dish.Place one watermelon round on top of each granola round. This is your "Canadian bacon."Place one kiwi round on top of each watermelon round. This is your "egg."Mix the remaining honey with the yogurt and drizzle over the kiwi. This is your "hollandaise."Top with a grape.